I was scheduled for a bar shop last night (Friday). Around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, I re-read the guidelines in details and noticed that the instructions said Tues-Thurs only. I emailed the MSC and the scheduler since I didn't have a phone number for either (so frustrating). This shop would require me to spend about $80 and then wait for 6-8 weeks for reimbursement. I'm not comfortable doing that without confirmation that I would get reimbursed. In my emails, I told them politely that without confirmation I wasn't going. I never heard from them so I didn't go.

The shop was one where I had to reply to the schedulers email and let her know the date that I was available and she scheduled me for Friday. She has made mistakes before so I'm fairly certain this was her mistake.

I know that I probably should have read the guidelines more carefully sooner but I didn't. Is my relationship with this MSC dead?

I work on the assumption that if I was authorized and assigned to a particular date, that overrides the rest. It is a judgment call and it would make a difference to me whether it was a company scheduler or an outside scheduler.

There are many many ways to find a phone number. Most schedulers give one in their emails, often the job description/instructions will have a phone number, the company website (as opposed to the reporting website) probably has one or asking here on the forum can often yield you a number.

She doesn't have her phone number on her emails. I did check the MSC site but maybe not carefully enough. I don't trust this scheduler because of her prior mistakes, and I'm still waiting for $120 in reimbursement from 7 weeks ago. Lesson learned on my part.




Flash Wrote:
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> I work on the assumption that if I was authorized
> and assigned to a particular date, that overrides
> the rest. It is a judgment call and it would make
> a difference to me whether it was a company
> scheduler or an outside scheduler.
>
> There are many many ways to find a phone number.
> Most schedulers give one in their emails, often
> the job description/instructions will have a phone
> number, the company website (as opposed to the
> reporting website) probably has one or asking here
> on the forum can often yield you a number.

I'm certainly not intending to argue with you. I just probably would have handled the situation differently. Trust is definitely a big issue in this business and I generally don't accept work from folks I have learned not to trust. If I ever have an unanswered question, I will make pdfs of everything supporting doing exactly what I am doing. A job board showing the assigned date, the email with specific instructions, the job instructions themselves, etc. I then proceed as instructed and if it is wrong I have the documentation to show that I did precisely what I was told to do. That is all that can be required of me as an Independent Contractor to fulfill my contract.

Schedulers are able to change dates, if you have her email stating Friday, then I would have gone ahead and did the job. The older instrustions can be overrided. The email should be solid or why would she have sent it......perhaps now email her and try to re-schedule.

That's good advice. What do you do if the information in the header contradicts the information in the body of the report? For example, the body of the report that appears to be written by the client says T-Th only, and the scheduler wrote no Sat or Sundays at top? Thanks for you help, by the way.


Flash Wrote:
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> I'm certainly not intending to argue with you. I
> just probably would have handled the situation
> differently. Trust is definitely a big issue in
> this business and I generally don't accept work
> from folks I have learned not to trust. If I ever
> have an unanswered question, I will make pdfs of
> everything supporting doing exactly what I am
> doing. A job board showing the assigned date, the
> email with specific instructions, the job
> instructions themselves, etc. I then proceed as
> instructed and if it is wrong I have the
> documentation to show that I did precisely what I
> was told to do. That is all that can be required
> of me as an Independent Contractor to fulfill my
> contract.

I have to assume that the scheduler has the authorization to do overrides and that what they contract for with me will stand.

I do 'emergency' shops that are for example 'Sun-Tue' but rescheduled for 'Th-Sat'. I know that the client absolutely does not want shops done on Wednesday so never ask for a Wednesday. I am watching one right now that needs to be done by the 20th. I can't get it to work until the 23rd. It is clearly marked ONLY Sun-Tues. If it is still on the board on Monday I will email with a suggestion of the 23rd and a suggested bonus. It is up to them to take or leave my offer or counter my offer. That company is pretty good about getting the dates and prices fixed soon after we come to an agreement. The chances are good that the shop will still read Sun-Tues ONLY and be assigned for the 23rd or 24th, which are Friday and Saturday respectively. There of course will be email backup for the change and I will snag a screen shot, though I have no reasonable expectation of a problem.

I probably would have gone ahead and did the shop and saved the email where the scheduler assigned it for a Friday. I have done many shops where the instructions contradict what the scheduler says or requests, but that's usually when they're close to a deadline. I have a bit of OCD so when I notice discrepancies, I ask for clarification first. On the other hand, taking into consideration that you said the scheduler has screwed up before, you may have actually done the right thing.

I think this one is a tough call. A scheduler that has made mistakes before and we don't know if she is the type to shift blame or will man up if there was an error. Add to that the large expense to be carried for 7 or 8 weeks. For a non-reimbursement shop or minimal out of pocket my inclination would be to do it. A company and scheduler which I have a solid working relationship with also means I would go in a heartbeat. If I felt any of the above was in question then I would be hesitant to complete the shop without confirmation.

Hi and thanks everyone.

Here's how it played out. I didn't receive a return call from the MSC or the scheduler until this morning (Tuesday). The scheduler emailed me and told me that it was okay for me to do the shop on Friday, and asked me to go this week. I declined.

Honestly, I'm turned off by their slow response and I just don't trust them. They have received some bad press on this forum and I'm nervous about fronting large amounts of money. As shoppers, we assume the risk and I think that entitles us to quick responses and a certain level of security and professionalism.

A month ago, they sent me to a bar shop and I couldn't get anywhere near the bar to order from the bartender as instructed. I went very early to try to get a seat but it wasn't happening. I waited 45 minutes for something to open up but nothing did. The instructions said that if I ordered from the cocktail waitress, I wouldn't be paid so I got the geo-verify code to show I was there and took a couple of photos, and contacted the scheduler right away (no response). A few days later, the scheduler told me I would be paid for my time but the editor rejected the shop and I got nothing.

Too risky for me, and there are too many other MSCs out there.


LisaSTL Wrote:
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> I think this one is a tough call. A scheduler that
> has made mistakes before and we don't know if she
> is the type to shift blame or will man up if there
> was an error. Add to that the large expense to be
> carried for 7 or 8 weeks. For a non-reimbursement
> shop or minimal out of pocket my inclination would
> be to do it. A company and scheduler which I have
> a solid working relationship with also means I
> would go in a heartbeat. If I felt any of the
> above was in question then I would be hesitant to
> complete the shop without confirmation.

It sounds like you made the best call for these circumstances. You are so right and there are too many MSC's who will work with you, be responsive and pay you on time!